One Chicago Bears O-Lineman Had An Excellent Preseason Opener

The Chicago Bears offensive line is far from settled. Head coach Matt Eberflus said the staff is working through the evaluation process to find the best five-man combination possible. A few takeaways thus far include Cody Whitehair and Lucas Patrick being locks at left guard and center. Braxton Jones, against all odds, is the heavy favorite at left tackle. It gets interesting on the right side of the offensive line where both right guard and right tackle don't appear certain yet. Riley Reiff has gotten most of the starter reps at right tackle in training camp over the past two weeks. He didn't play in the opener. That suggests the team views him as the likely option they'll go with in September unless something unexpected happens. That would be somebody else making a strong enough impression to change their minds. One person that may have done just that against the Chiefs was Larry Borom.

He got the start for the Bears in that game.

Across an entire half of work, the former 5th round pick looked sharp. That was especially true in pass protection. Borom pass-blocked on 18 total snaps in the game, including 13 where he had no help. He didn't allow a single pressure on the quarterback in each of those instances. Much of this was accomplished against guys like Carlos Dunlap (former Pro Bowler), Frank Clark (former Pro Bowler), and George Karlaftis (1st round pick).

[video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://www.sportsmockery.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Just-an-unbelievable-catch-from-Tajae-Sharpe-DaBears-KCvsCHI-on-@NFLNetwork-Stream-on-N.mp4"][/video] Borom has gotten extensive looks at both tackle positions throughout camp. As of right now, he is the heavy favorite to be their swing tackle or primary backup at both spots. However, his strong opener may have cracked the window a bit wider for him to aim higher. That depends on what offensive line coach Chris Morgan saw.

Chicago Bears' decision may hinge on run-blocking.

Pass protection is vital for an NFL offensive tackle. The problem is the Bears' new outside-zone offense under Luke Getsy is built around running the football. That "outside" part of the title isn't for show. Teams that run the scheme like to run the ball off tackle. That means the guys on the edge must be able to move people. Such things were a problem for Borom last year. Pro Football Focus gave him a 59.5 run-blocking grade, ranking him 69th among qualifying offensive tackles. It probably didn't help his case that the Chicago Bears had just 20 yards and seven carries running in his direction against Kansas City. That is likely a big reason Reiff is ahead of him on the depth chart. He's been a far more reliable run blocker during his long career. Borom will have to change that perception if he wants a genuine chance to start. Either that or convince the coaches to let him try his hand at guard.

Things haven't gotten there yet.

The second-year tackle was great in his first game action of the year and against a pretty strong defensive front too. One can safely assume this coming week might be the most pivotal for him. Either he'll make the big move to unseat Reiff or settle in as the primary backup.